The Spirit War
by chaosking121
Summary: As the Winter Solstice drawers nearer, can Korra and her mysterious new accomplice unravel the mysteries surrounding the Spirit World?
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

_Date: Summer Solstice. _

_Location: Earth Kingdom._

_POV: Kurai_

As I closed my eyes that night, my world changed forever. It is said the boundaries between the physical and spirit worlds are blurred on the solstice, but traversing between them had never been a problem for me. Even so, I didn't expect to be graced with a vision that night, nevertheless, I was.

In the vision, the world around me had been ravaged. The land was almost unrecognizable. I could feel my connection with the spirit world screaming out in pain, as if the entire realm was simultaneously dying. Try as I might, I was frozen on the spot. I raised my head as much as I could and to my shock, in front of me, just a few feet away, stood a cloaked girl. It was obvious she was not part of the vision, but a spectator, just like me. She raised her head and our eyes met. They were truest blue I had ever seen. In her eyes you could see the ocean, stirring and moving in all its might. Her eyes seemed so familiar, and they pierced into my soul with unyielding ferocity. I had never seen this woman before, but it felt as though I _knew_ her. Even her name seemed at the tip of my tongue, but just out of my reach. A part of me wanted to protect her, to stop her from seeing what I had hidden from the world for so very long. However, that part of me died a long time ago. I stirred in my bed and the vision faded to black. My eyes slowly opened and the real world came back into view. Was the vision just a dream? As I gradually recalled what was shown to me, it was clear that it was no fantasy. There was something coming and that girl in the vision was the key to it all. Perhaps the time to reveal myself to the world had come? It was raining now. As I gazed up to the sky, I saw her eyes in every drop. For she was the ocean; she was the sea; she had her secrets; and I knew she'd be the death of me.


	2. The First Encounter

**Chapter 1: The First Encounter**

_Location: Air Temple Island._

_Date: 1 Week after the Summer Solstice._

_POV: Korra._

My eyes reluctantly opened up, the blinding sunlight waking me up with a jolt. What was the time?! The sun was far too high for me to be in time for training with Tenzin. He'd be furious for me sleeping in. I rushed out the room with a burst of air and tried to air-scooter my way to the training yard. I got there as fast as I could, only to find everyone missing. Tenzin had left a note for me saying that I needed to go to the Town Hall tonight at sunset and that I should wear a fancy dress Pema had put out for me. I slopped to the ground with a sigh. Today was going to be awfully boring.

With my free time, I decided to take Naga out for a walk. Well, that was the excuse. Truth be told, there was a lot on my mind that I needed to deal with. I didn't really have anyone else to confide in. Mako and I had a long, slow breakup 3 months ago and even though we still talked, we just weren't as close as we used to be. We didn't really see each other much either, since him and Bolin were helping to repair the Pro-Bending Arena. Asami was off trying to rebuild her father's company from the ground up. Mako seemed to be helping her a lot too. I always wondered what was up with that.

Even more troubling was the vision that I saw during the Summer Solstice last week. The world around me was destroyed, burnt to ashes. Even the sky seemed to weep for the world. I could feel the sorrow of the animals and plants all around me. They were all screaming out in terror at once. Was this the end of the world? Suddenly, in front of me, there was a man, clothed entirely in black. We raised our heads and our eyes met. In his eyes I could see the sun. An overwhelming flame overpowered me, coming from deep within his soul. The look on his face was unmistakable. It was that look you get when you see somebody for the first time in ages and you try to remember them, but you just can't. I understood the feeling, because I felt the same way looking at him. Even his named seemed hidden somewhere in my mind, just out of my reach.

Then, before I could reach out or speak to him, I was jolted awake. I realized I had fallen asleep while meditating, and brushed off the entire experience as just a dream. All the candles had been blown out by the wind, but one remained lit. As I stared into it, I saw him, for he seemed to be made of fire itself.

_*At sunset that day*_

Pema had picked a wonderful blue dress for me. As much as I tried to avoid dresses, it was obvious the dress was meant to compliment the colour of my eyes. Also, riding a polar-bear dog with an ankle length dress is not exactly a fun experience, but I'd say I managed pretty well. As I made my way to the town hall, I kept wondering where all the people had gone. They were very few in the streets and most of the shops were closed. As I got closer to the hall, I realized where everyone was.

They were here. For what reason, I couldn't say, but at least two thirds of the city had shown up. The sight was amazing. As I approached, they began to cheer. Members of The Order of the White Lotus quickly appeared and ushered me to the stage. Tenzin and my friends were already there, waiting for me. The banners above their head quickly gave away the nature of the event. The event was apparently two-fold. Firstly, it marked 1 year of me having arrived at Republic City, and secondly, it was to announce that I had finished the 36 tiers of airbending. Doing so would mark the completion of my training and my becoming a fully realized Avatar. This was, however, the first that I had heard of this. I didn't even know there were 36 tiers in total. Tenzin probably wanted it to be a surprise. I'd have a word with him about that later.

In true airbending master fashion, I leaped to the stage from 20 feet away. The crowd cheered even louder and I could feel my worries slowly fade away. Today was the day I had dreamt of for so long. Who cared about a mystical dream foretelling the end of the world? Time passed so quickly. There was food and drink for everyone and the music was great. I even caught Mako and Asami sneaking off mid-festival. Before I knew it, it was time for the final event, my speech. Want to know the bad thing about surprise parties? You don't have time to write speeches. Luckily, Tenzin had me covered and handed me a speech he wrote for me. The crowd quieted down, everyone wanted to hear what I had to say. The speech was nothing special, just the usual thank you for coming and how excited I am to begin my duties as the Avatar for real now. However, before I could finish the last paragraph, I saw him. The man from my vision was in the crowd. I could feel 1000 lifetimes of refined instinct telling me I had to go after him.

Dress or no dress, I leaped from the stage and headed right for him. He realized my intent almost immediately and turned to run, but I was quick. I caught him by his coat and twirled him around. There was no mistaking it, that fire in his eyes was the same as the vision. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Tenzin pulling me back, with Mako and the others coming as well. I turned to face my mysterious friend, but he was gone. I was confident that my grip hadn't loosened. I only then listened to the shouts of my friends.

They couldn't see him. To everyone else, I grabbed thin air. I must have looked crazy. But there was no mistaking it. He was there. And he was real. Unfortunately for me, that meant the world was also about to end, and it was up to me to stop it. Stupid visions.


End file.
